Air conditioning apparatus for passenger cars



March 14, 1939. w. J. MADDEN AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR PASSENGER CARS Filed Feb. 26, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

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WITNESSES. Q W 4 WWW March 14, 1939. w. J. MADDEN AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR PASSENGER CARS Filed Feb. 26, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: W INVENTEIIZZ- v 1 11am J Ma en, W WTTORNEYS.

March 14, 1939; w, J MADDEN 2,150,449

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR PASSENGER CARS Filed Feb. 26, 1937 5 Shees-Sheet 3 W1 TNESSES 1 INVENTOR;

' ATTORNEYS.

March 14, 1939. w. MADDEN 2,150,449

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR PASSENGER A'Rs Filed Feb. 26, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet '4 WITNESSES: I INVENTOR:

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Mar ch 14, 1939. w, M DDEN 2,150,449

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR PASSENGER CARS Filed Feb. 26, 1937 S SheeIS-Sheet 5 I HG'; 11

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UNITED PATENT OFFICE AIR connrrronmc APPARATUS Fon rassnncan cans 1 William JrMadden, Lansdowne, Pa, assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pin, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 26. 1931, Serial No. 127,827 5 Claims. '(cl. se -14) This invention relates to air conditioning sysillustration herein. The car body comprises, gente'ms for railway passenger cars and more'parerally, a roof I, a floor 2, and side walls 3, a ticularly to the discharge and distributing or the pas ageway 4, a pass n space 5 d a kitchen conditioned air into the passenger occupied space space 6. The car includes windows 1, preferably 5 of the car. having double sashes, the windows being kept 5 The proper distribution of the-conditioned air closed in order to establish asubstantially closed in such a confined and limited space as that of a system with controlled admission of quantities of passenger car is materially afiectedby the efiifresh conditioned air.. ciency of the air condition system as a whole. The The air conditioning apparatus proper is housed main object of this invention is to provide a in a small cabinet 9 at the end of the car adja- 10 means for insuring an even distribution of the cent thepassenger space 5. This cabinet 9 is relaconditioned air both longitudinally and transtively narrow in the direction of the longitudinal versely of the passenger cars. Another object is axis of the car, and is nested between linenthe avoidance of drafts and the falling of the dislockers which ordinarily fill that pocket of the charged air directly 'on the passengers. Comvestibule between the passageway 4 and one side 15 pactness, simplicity and economicalconstruction wall 3 of the car. This cabinet 9 has near the are also objects of my invention. Still further base thereof an intake i0 situated at the side wall objects and advantages will become apparent of the car and adapted to admit fresh air from from the following detailed description of my inthe exterior. and an intake l4 situated at the vention, reference being had to the accompanycentral passageway 4 and adapted to receive air 20 ing drawings. i withdrawn from the passenger space 5. Associat- Fig. I ofthe drawings represents a longitudinal ed with each intake I0, 14, there'is a filter Illa, sectional plan view of a portionof a railway pas- |4a which serves to clean air passing theresenger car embodying my invention. through. 5 Fig. II is a longitudinal sectional side view of At the base of the body 9 isa mixing chamber same. i5 having a centrally placed baille H for defiect-, Fig. III is a partial top view 01' the air condiing the incoming air upward in the manner tioning apparatus showing only the supply end clearly illustrated in Fig. V. The inlet openings of the distribution duct. of the intakes Ill and I4 are alsolnclined up- Fig.' IV is a vertical section taken about the wardly for the same purpose; A horizontallydis- 30 lines IVIV of Fig. III. posed tray or drip-pan i8 is positioned in the Fig. V is a vertical section taken about the body 9 above the baiile I1 and serves also as a lines V-V of Fig. III. deflecting baiile as explained in the above identie Fig. VI is a tran'sverse sectionalview of the disfied'pate'nt application.

tribution duct showing its installation in the car Above the tray i8 is positioned an air conf, T ditioning unit 20 for conditioning the air. This Fig.VII is a vertical sectional viewtaken about; unit 20 may be of any convenient form as exthe'lines VII--VII of Fig. VI. plained in the above identified patent applica- My invention is primarilyconcerned with the tion. Above this conditioning unit 20 are a pair 40 distribution duct, and the air. conditioning ape of blowers 23 driven by a constant speed electric 40' paratus proper is the subject 0! a separate applimotor 24. At the discharge sides of the blowers cation fora United States patent by William J. 23 there is provided a duct 25 which leads from Madden, filed March 9, 1936. Serial No; 67.803, the upper region of the compartment 8 through now-Patent No. 2,084,155, granted June 1:5, 1937. the .monitor deck, diagonally to the transverse A detailed description of the air conditioning ap bulkhead 26 where it discharges into a distribu-v 5 paratus proper and its operation is therefore tion duct 21. avoided herein for the sake of clarity. This in- The distribution duct 21 runs longitudinally of vention s in a s n a further development of the car along the centralpart of the roof I to the invention just referred to. which it is attached bybrackets 28 and 29. A

In the drawings there is shown the passenger ceiling 30 hides the distribution duct 21 from view 50 occupied portion of a conventional dining car and continuousdischarge-or air delivery slots 30a equipped with my invention. It will be 'underin the ceiling wall with grilles 3| at their mouths stood that the invention is equally applicable to conduct the air through the ceiling 30 into the many other forms of passenger carrying cars and passenger space 5. The ducts 25 and 21 are 55. is not restricted to the specific type chosen for covered with an insulation I2.as indicated in the 4 verse distribution of the air.

drawings. The distribution duct 21 gradually tapers at its top side toward the end remote from the conditioning unit 20, and this feature is of prime importance. This tapering is desirable because ofthe fact that, if a uniform cross-sectional area is utilized, the most of the air will be discharged at the end of the duct 21 remote from ,the conditioning unit 20. This tapering also results in an even distribution of the air into the air leaves the grilles 3|. These slots 21a have flanges along their edges to aid in directing the discharging air. toward the inclined surfaces 'of the slots 30a.

The duct 2'! has a vertical central partition 33 running its full length andthis partition 33 in conjunction with the outwardly inclined slots 30a and grilles 3| bring about a uniform trans- Thus air is admitted into the car in two continuous longitudinal streams at the ceiling of the car, which are directed downward and outward toward the car sides, to the exclusion of the walking space of the car aisle. Being continuous, these streams can be gentle, so as to be lost by intermixture with the rest of the air before reaching the level of the heads of seated passengers. The narrow duct-slots 21a opening into the wider wall-slots 30a assure gentle (but turbulent) streams issuing from the grilles 3|. The partition equalizes the discharge of. the pair of closely spaced slots 30a, because each slot of the pairis fed by a feed duct which is separated from the duct feeding the other slot 30a of the pair, and there is no tendency for one slot 30a to over-discharge at the expense of its associated slot 30a. The inclination of the vanes forming the grilles 3| also makes for even discharge and prevents the air from falling out directly on the passengers. The conditioned air in the distribution duct 21 impinges on the'inclined surface of the slot 30a which forms a duct-like connection between duct 21 and the grille 3|, and this provides a controlled discharge under the constant pressure of the blowers 23 and avoids having the air drop out of the grilles 3| in an uncontrolled manner. It should be noted that the sides of the duct-like slots 30a converge. Drafts are avoided in this controlled manner of discharge. At the bottom of the duct 21 is formed a duct 34 for accommodating the electrical wires for lighting or control.

t will be noted that my invention is characterized by a system of baflies and controls from the guided intakes l0, M to the guided discharges through the grilles 3|. The constant speed blower 23'distributes uniformly conditionedair from one end of the passenger space to the other without setting up drafts to annoy the passengers. This regulated condition cannot be disturbed by a heavy side wind blowing into the intake l0 because of the provision of a baffle I1 and inclined inlet openings to prevent this occurring. There is no sudden influx of air directly opposing the current of air from the opposite inlet to upset the air conditioning, and maldistribution of air is avoided in the passenger occupied space 5. The system functions efliciently and is economic in installation. The system of bafll'es and the tapering distribution duct cooperate throughout the apparatus to provide a balanced and uniform air conditioning which is superior to anything known to me.

While I have described the preferred form of my invention in some detail, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as hereinafter" claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In a passenger car having air conditioning means and blowing means for moving air in contact with said air conditioning means and blowing it into the passenger space of the car, a distribution duct receiving the conditioned air and extending along over the longitudinal aisle of the car, with a substantially continuous longitudinal discharge slot sloping downward and directing the conditioned air from said duct in a continuous gentle stream downward and outward toward the car side, to the exclusion of the walking space of said longitudinal aisle, said duct tapering-toward its end remote from that where it receives the conditioned air, so as to give substantially uniform distribution of conditioned air lengthwise of the car.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the discharge slot is provided with a grille of longitudinal vanes sloping downward and outward, and thus directing the issuing air toward the car side and awayfrom the said aisle space.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the fact that besides substantially continuous longitudinal discharge slots discharging and directing the conditioned air from said duct downward and outward in continuous gentle streams toward both sides of the car, to the exclusion of the walking space of said longitudinal aisle, said longitudinal discharge duct has a central longitudinal septum between the slots that discharge toward opposite sides of the car, for assuring substantially equal division of conditioned air between the two sides of the car.-

4. In a passenger car having air conditioning means and blowing means for moving air in contact with said air-conditioning means and blowing it into the passenger space of the car, a distribution duct receiving the conditioned air and extending along behind a wall of said passenger space, said wall having a substantially continuous air delivery slot therein with inclined sides, and

' ther characterized by the fact that the mouth of the air delivery slot is provided with a discharge grille substantially flush with the ceiling over the passenger space of the car.

' WILLIAM J. MADDEN. 

